'You could see' - Ex-Doncaster Rovers figure's admission on Blackpool boss prior to recent reunion
Scunthorpe United boss Andy Butler discussed his time with Blackpool ahead of last weekend’s FA Cup tie.
Blackpool boss Ian Evatt came up against a former Bloomfield Road teammate at the weekend.
The 43-year-old’s first home game as Seasiders head coach ended in a 1-0 victory over Scunthorpe United in the first round of the FA Cup.
In the visiting dugout was Andy Butler - who had a brief loan spell on the Fylde Coast back in 2010 as the club won promotion to the Premier League.
The retired centre back started his playing career with Scunthorpe, and made 138 appearances for the Lincolnshire side across three stints in total, as well as having the likes of Walsall and Doncaster Rovers on his lengthy CV as well, before taking on his first permanent managerial role with the Iron last year.
While his spell sharing a dressing with Evatt was a short one, Butler admits he could see the signs that he would go on to have a coaching career, alongside some of his other former teammates.
“He always had ambitions of doing it,” he said in an interview ahead of last week’s FA Cup tie.
“He was a good character, and was larger than life. He demanded respect so you could see him going down that line. He’s had an unbelievable career so far with Barrow and Bolton.
“I thought Stephen Crainey would be into it, so it’s great to see them both back - and Stephen Dobbie as well, he was class for me when I was there.”
‘A surprise’
Butler states he looks back on his time in Tangerine with fondness, and enjoyed the experience of being at Bloomfield Road during what was a successful period.
“I came on loan from Huddersfield which was the division below, so it was a surprise for me,” he added.
“I hadn’t played for a long time, and then Ian Holloway rang up. It was good times, the lads were brilliant. What a time for the club with promotion to the Premier League.
“It was a bit of a surprise. Obviously confidence breeds when you’re winning games and we had a great run at the back end of the season. I don’t think anyone expected promotion, but when you’ve got a group of players that will do anything for the manager then you’ve got half a chance, and they had belief in abundance.
“I only played seven times, but looking back I wasn’t ready to play games in that division. The squad was already sorted - Evo (Ian Evatt) and Alex Baptiste were already there, so the manager only brought me in because they both got sent off, but I still felt a part of it.”
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